MISTAKEN HER as HIS BRIDE

"No, I won't!" I shouted.

"Apologize!" my stepmother barked, slapping me hard across the face.

Pain exploded, but I stood my ground. "Why should I? I did nothing wrong. She did," I said, pointing at Ava, my stepsister.

Her eyes darkened with fury. "Since you refuse to accept your mistake, you won't eat anything in this house for the next three days."

"But Mom....."

"I am not your mother!" she cut me off sharply. "Your mother is dead. She's been dead for a long time."

That was it.

The tears I had been holding back spilled freely, sliding down my cheeks. What had I done to deserve this kind of life? What crime had I committed to be treated like I didn't belong?

I looked up and met Ava's eyes. She was smiling,slow, cruel, and satisfied. This was exactly what she wanted.

I said nothing.

I knew better than to argue. Her words were final. My father wouldn't defend me,he never did. Instead, he would accuse me of always looking for trouble with his precious younger daughter.

So I stayed silent, swallowing my pain, as I always did.

******

Author's Pov

She cried as she walked into her small room and locked the door behind her. Sliding down against it, Skyle buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as the sobs finally broke free. This room was the only place she could call hers,small, plain, but safe from their eyes.

Moments later, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and saw Clara.

Taking a shaky breath, Skyle answered. "Hello?"

Clara's voice came through immediately, warm and familiar. "Hey, Sky. I was just checking up on you. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Skyle replied quickly.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Clara spoke again. "No, you're not. I can hear it in your voice." She sighed softly. "I've known you since we were kids. Something is wrong."

That was all it took.

The dam broke.

Skyle told her everything,how she had been in the kitchen that morning, quietly making tea because her stomach ached from hunger. How Ava had walked in, snatched the cup from her hands, and poured the hot tea over herself. They had argued briefly before Ava began crying loudly, tearing her own dress to make it look worse.

"She did it on purpose," Skyle whispered. "She wanted trouble."

She explained how her stepmother rushed in and, without asking for any explanation, immediately believed Ava. How she had been ordered to apologize for something she hadn't done. How the slap came next. And then the words,cruel and unforgivable,about her mother being dead and her punishment of not eating for three days.

By the time she finished, Skyle's voice was barely audible.

"Oh, Skyle..." Clara said gently. "I'm so sorry. You don't deserve any of this."